1. Field of The Invention
The invention relates to card edge connectors, and particularly to the card edge connector with individual signal contacts and commoning power contacts and the method making the same.
2. The Related Arts
Card edge connectors are popularly used in the computer industry, for example, Micro Channel connectors (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,276), EISA connectors (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,766) and DIMM connectors (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,404), etc. The contacts used in the card edge connectors generally include two types of which one is the so-called forming type in which the curved contact portion is successively bent/formed after the individual contact has been stamped from the metal sheet, and the other is the so-called blanking type in which the curved contact portion generally is directly formed when the individual contact is being stamped from the metal sheet.
The advantage of the former is to own the superior resiliency and the contacts on the same side of the connector housing can be commonly formed on the same carrier and simultaneously inserted into the corresponding passageways. For example, the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,766 discloses a card edge connector, i.e., the EISA connector, with two level contacts which are of the so-called forming contacts arranged on the same contact carrier and adapted to be inserted into the corresponding passageways of the housing at one time.
Oppositely, the advantage of the latter is to own the more precise shape of the contacts than the forming type, and have only one step, i.e., direct stamping, to form each individual contact rather than two steps, i.e., one stamping plus one forming, required by the forming type one. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,102 discloses the so-called blanking type in which the odd configuration of the curved contact portion or even the dual-beam contact portion can be achieved. The presently preferred embodiment of the invention depicted later is related to the blanking type contact. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional blanking type contacts 1 in the card edge connector 2, e.g. the DIMM connector, generally are symmetrically located by two sides of the central slot 3 where the daughter board (not shown) is received.
From another viewpoint, in some applications some of the individual contacts in the connector are expected to be electrically connected. Under such a condition, the jumper strip(s) or the shunting bar(s) is/are intentionally applied to the connector for implementation of commoning such specific contacts, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,464 (the card edge connector) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,597 (the cable connector).
The invention is to provide a card edge connector with some commoned designated contacts in an easy manufacturing way.
According to an aspect of the invention, a card edge connector includes an insulative housing defining a central slot along a longitudinal direction thereof. Two rows of passageways are disposed by two sides of the central slot, respectively. An elongated slit is formed in an outer side of each corresponding row of the passageways. The slit is configured to laterally communicate with some designated passageways in the corresponding row. A contact strip includes a elongated strip retention portion retained in the corresponding slit. A plurality of discrete first contacts are respectively retainably disposed in such some designated passageways with engagement sections mechanically and electrically engaged with the contact strip. A plurality of discrete second contacts are respectively retainably disposed in the remaining passageways. A pair of metal hold-downs are positioned at two opposite longitudinal ends of the housing and mechanically and electrically engaged with the contact strip.